National Guard Soldier Charged in Capitol Riot

A soldier with Wisconsin's National Guard was arrested and charged for his role in the Capitol riot, after investigators say he drove with an associate to DC to attend a rally supporting then-President Trump. CNN reports that Abram Markofski, a private first class assigned to the 1st Battalion, 128 Infantry Regiment, is accused of four federal crimes, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry or disorderly conduct. Per Justice Department documents, Markofski and friend Brandon Nelson left the Madison area on Jan. 5, arriving the next morning in DC. After they listened to Trump speak near the White House, the two men made their way to the US Capitol, where they walked up the exterior stairs and entered the building, per the affidavit. Nelson told investigators that police were guiding people inside the building.

Markofski's story didn't exactly align with that: He says one of the police officers inside the building told them, per the affidavit, "I can't make you guys leave. However, for your safety, you should leave." According to Nelson's account cited in the affidavit, they first found themselves in a room "with a dome-like ceiling," where they stayed for about 20 minutes, before going with the crowd into another room; he says he and Markofski were inside the Capitol for 40 minutes or so in total. Nelson was hit with the same charges as Markofski. Per the Washington Post, Markofski is the fourth active service member to have been charged so far in the Capitol attack. The others charged include two Army Reserve soldiers and a Virginia National Guard soldier who was also a civilian police officer. More than 40 veterans are also facing federal charges in connection with the riot. (More Capitol riot stories.)